Friday, 12 September 2014

Oscar Pistorius Found Guilty Of Manslaughter

South
African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of (manslaughter) culpable
homicide after the judge found he killed his girlfriend by mistake. Culpable homicide -
the South African equivalent of manslaughter carries up to 15 years in prison
but has no minimum sentence and could see him given a suspended term.

Judge
Thokozile Masipa said the athlete acted "negligently" when he fired
shots through a toilet door but in the "belief that there was an
intruder".

She
said the state had failed to prove he intended to kill Reeva Steenkamp.

He
was also found guilty on a charge of negligently handling a firearm that went
off in a restaurant. There was not much emotion in court because everyone knew
that verdict was coming, our correspondent.

It
leaves the disgraced sprinter facing a jail sentence of up to 15 years,
although legal experts suggest seven to 10 years is more likely when sentence
is passed in a couple of weeks.